Tommy Thompson to go on Welfare

Poor Republican Tommy Thompson plans to ask the Oshkosh City Council for a handout in the near future. The amount, undetermined as yet, might be $14 million, $17 million, or as high as $25 million.

The last time in Oshkosh that Tommy Thompson and Welfare were brought up in the same sentence was in the latter half of the 1990's. Tommy, with a waiver from Washington, allowed counties to opt out of the General Relief program. Winnebago County took that option.

TAXPAYER MONEY I

General Relief was a long time Social Service program. It was a safety net when all else failed. If a person or family did not qualify for Old Age Assistance, Aid to Dependent Children, Social Security Disability, etc., General Relief provided a last ditch bare bones program to house and feed people in transition. General Relief was the only assistance program I know of to provide a payback option. When the person died, the county could attach their bank accounts and real estate to recover the funds.

Tommy Thompson tossed General Relief in the garbage without providing an alternative program! The safety net was broken!

TAXPAYER MONEY II

TIF: Tax Incremental Financing. Taxpayers give a wealthy person money up front to help finance large loans to get a project off the ground. If things go well the wealthy person eventually pays back the Taxpayers albeit a lower interest rate than the bank might charge.
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Neither of these programs absolutely guarantee that the County will get its money back.

BOTH OF THESE PROGRAMS ARE WELFARE!

One, welfare for the poor, the other, welfare for the rich.

Tommy Thompson cut off welfare for the poorest of the poor. Now he's coming to Oshkosh to ask for welfare for he and his friends.

Anyone want to join me at City Hall for this one?

ENDNOTE...

I tried to simplify as much as possible to get the general idea across. TIF's were a noble idea. They have outlived any and all usefulness at this point. Latest casualty: 100 block of North Main which was to have a mix of low, middle, and high rents, which has resulted in high rents only.

Count me out for giving Republican Tommy a welfare check.